OBR chair mortified' by budget leak as ex-cybersecurity chief called in to investigate

"Ciaran Martin, the former chief executive of the National Cyber Security Centre, would provide expert input to the investigation, Hughes said. He said the OBR's Economic and Fiscal Outlook its key budget document had been accessible from outside the organisation. The documents weren't published on our webpage itself. It appears there was a link that someone was able to access an external person. We need to get to the bottom of what exactly happened, he said."

"Speaking on Thursday morning, the chancellor gave Hughes her backing despite the breach. The incident was serious, she said, but I do have confidence in Richard and the OBR. The early publication of the document, about 45 minutes before the chancellor was due to deliver her budget in the House of Commons, meant details of her key policies were made public before she announced them. I regret the disruption that it caused to the chancellor's statement and parliamentary proceedings, Hughes said."

Richard Hughes, chair of the Office for Budget Responsibility, apologised and said he was mortified after budget documents were accessed and published early. He wrote to the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, and the chair of the Treasury select committee, Meg Hillier, and launched an inquiry. Ciaran Martin, former chief executive of the National Cyber Security Centre, will provide expert input. Hughes said the Economic and Fiscal Outlook had been accessible from outside the organisation via a link rather than the OBR webpage. The chancellor expressed confidence in Hughes despite calling the incident serious, and Hughes said he expected a swift investigation and would consider stepping down if required.

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